1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to fluid supply systems and more particularly to systems and methods for sensing a fluid supply status in a fluid supply system.
2. Background
Soda fountains are commonplace in many fast food or convenience store locations. A soda fountain usually dispenses several different types of soda, or more generally several different carbonated beverages, from several different dispensers. When a customer activates a particular dispenser, the carbonated beverage is mixed as it is being dispensed.
A carbonated beverage dispensed by a soda fountain is a mixture of a syrup and carbonated water, the syrup being specific to the particular carbonated beverage. The syrup is usually contained in a bag. A pump pumps the syrup out of the bag and through a syrup supply line up to the dispenser. Water is also pumped up to the dispenser through a water supply line. Injecting Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from a pressurized tank into the water supply line carbonates the water.
The pump that pumps the syrup is preferably a CO2 pump and can, therefore, use CO2 from the same tank that is used to carbonate the water.
The mixing process is mostly automated and is controlled by the amount of syrup and carbonated water pumped up to the dispenser as the beverage is being dispensed; however, there is presently no way to detect when the syrup bag or pressurized CO2 are about to run out. Therefore, there is no way to prevent the soda fountain from dispensing beverages with no syrup when the syrup bag runs out. When the CO2 runs, beverages will stop being dispensed altogether. This results in lost sales because the customer often decides not to purchase a beverage when they find that the soda fountain will not properly dispense their beverage of choice. Cumulative lost sales can be significant even if just a few sales are lost each time either the syrup or CO2 runs out.